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Friday, October 26, 2007 

Reynolds: "Why Is a Liberal, Out-of-State Group Praising Edmondson?”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: State Rep. Mike Reynolds

Capitol: (405) 557-7337

OKLAHOMA CITY (October 26, 2007) – Although the Washington, DC-based Ballot Initiative Strategy Center (BISC) claims to be a "progressive 'think-and-do' tank" eager to "reinvigorate the initiative process among state and national progressive organizations...." it’s actions undercut that claims, state Rep. Mike Reynolds said today.

BISC statements imply that it upholds the values of democracy and citizen initiative rights, and is a friend of the rule of law.

"But it seems this is only true when BISC wants to advance its own political agenda through initiatives," said Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City, responding to a recent statement issued by the Center. "BISC is apparently all in favor of hauling supporters off to prison if they work for initiatives BISC doesn't like."

An October 22 press release issued by the organization applies its BISC-quicked logic to the case of Paul Jacob, Susan Johnson, and Rick Carpenter, leaders in a recent Oklahoma initiative to limit state spending often referred to as a Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR). If convicted of participating in democracy they could go to prison for up to 10 years.

According to BISC, the Oklahoma three are "crooks [who] have worked in this arena long enough to know the laws. They just thought they could get away with ignoring them. In fact, we have found that most right-wing ballot initiative players operate with complete disregard for state laws meant to ensure an open and honest process of putting issues on the ballot."

BISC's blanket characterization of "right-wing ballot initiative players" immediately suggests an ideological bias, Reynolds said.

But worse, said Reynolds, "BISC is dishonest to claim that the Oklahoma Three 'thought they could get away with ignoring' Oklahoma's law that petition circulators be residents. BISC links to Paul Jacob's statement of self-defense but ignores his explanation of how the state changed the rules, after the fact, on what constitutes residency. At freepauljacob.com, Mister Jacob reports in detail on the effort he and others made to ensure that they were complying with the law, a law that contrary to BISC's assertions does not in fact do anything to ensure an open and honest ballot process.

"If BISC thinks Jacob is wrong on the facts, why don't they answer him?" Reynolds asked. "Why don't they refute him? Their attack is clearly not about facts or objective law. It's sad that political activists who make use of the initiative process themselves refuse to see the glaring injustice and unconstitutionality here, which could be extended to them too one day. And it is an Orwellian inversion to imply that abetting the exercise by Oklahoma citizens of their constitutionally guaranteed citizen initiative rights is in and of itself a form of sabotage of those rights."

BISC Executive Director Kristina Wilfore has even gone so far as to submit a letter of praise to Attorney General Edmondson stressing that the TABOR campaign was funded and enjoining Edmondson to look into the "network of funders" that has supported this and other petition drives.

“BISC is not a credible source of information,” said Reynolds. “It’s on the extreme left, supported by donations from the National Abortion Rights Action League and billionaire George Soros's Open Society Foundation. BISC is about using the initiative process to promote the leftwing agenda of its donors. Contrary to its rhetoric about ‘out of state’ interests, BISC itself provides direct donations to ballot measures in multiple states.

“BISC ideologically opposes TABOR initiatives,” said Reynolds. “In 2006, Nebraska campaign filings show that BISC was paid to train people in blocking a TABOR petition drive. A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order against three Nebraska cities because they violated the 1st Amendment rights of TABOR petitioners."

“BISC should be ashamed enough of its admitted role in campaigns designed to harass petitioners and block voters from deciding issues like TABOR,” Reynolds concluded. “But now we see their desire to help in the AG’s witch-hunt against the initiative process, to actually throw their political opponents in prison. That's a sad commentary on BISC.”

The state representative pointed to BISC’s own statement that their help in the prosecution of these three individuals by the AG is “a continuation of those efforts” to block TABOR from the ballot.

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Posted at 8:16 PM |  
Friday, October 19, 2007 

Picture of the Day

Monday, October 15, 2007 

Moderation for Everybody

By Paul Jacob

The idea behind measures like term limits and TABOR and Stop OverSpending is born from a practical realization. Let’s start with small steps in the right direction and prove to people the direction is indeed the right one.

That’s what spending growth limitation measures do. In a context of current out-of-control spending, where programs are almost never abandoned even after proven ineffectiveness, and where taxes and commitments almost always go up, that’s when nearly everyone should be able to agree on a program of controls.

So why don’t those on the left embrace such measures? They would not be forced to take each next step, towards actually reducing the size or scope of government. Those steps would have to be proven anew each turn.

They say they fear that voters will be misled by simple arguments. (You hear this a lot; and their distrust for the people is quite amazing . . . and perhaps even more stark when one considers that one popular feature of TABOR and Stop OverSpending were provisions to allow a vote of the people to set aside the growth limits, in separate votes.) Or that basic services will get cut. (Not so, of course: that would only happen when politicians prioritize in favor of less-than-basic services). But the truth is more likely this: They fear that citizens will get used to demanding less from government.

Could that be it? Could they fear what I hope for — mounting evidence that society works better with less government, cascading support for cutting back on government? Read more...

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Posted at 5:03 PM |  
Sunday, October 14, 2007 

Oklahoma's Swinging Gate of Double Standards:Don't be Found on the Wrong Side of the Political Gate

Attorney General Drew Edmondson Practicing a Double Standard?

Oklahoma Gamefowl Breeders Association

Contact: Val Holland
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tel. 580-369-5259
Email: OGBAoffice@gmail.com

One Oklahoman and two residents of other states now know about the double standard of the Oklahoma Supreme Court and State Attorney General, Drew Edmondson. We are Oklahoma residents and have found the Oklahoma Supreme Court decisions on signature gathering for initiative petitions to amount to a two sided coin. It is as if they ask which side of the gate you want this group on.

When opposing the referendum on cockfighting, we found that many individuals came in from outside Oklahoma to become residents, in order to gather signatures for the petition to ban cockfighting. The Supreme Court was aware of this and so was Drew Edmondson. Not one of those found to have broken Oklahoma law was arrested, nor were their signatures disallowed except in one case where the petitioner put an out of state address on the petition's affidavit. During this time, the question of outside petitioners and organizers were called to the attention of our State Attorney General. Here is where the gate was locked. We were told it was not against Oklahoma law for outside signature gathers to claim residency and collect signatures.

It was as if the same law that put three people under arrest this last week, in leg chains, did not apply to the exact same thing done during the signature gathering of the cockfighting petition. We now ask, is it law or politics? We lost our rights, who will next? It may be tax reform, cockfighting or any other issue important to the citizens of Oklahoma that will be decided by which side of the gate they choose to place you.

As Oklahomans, we feel that the day of double sided interpretation of the law needs to end. We hope all Oklahomans when voting for Attorney General and retaining those seated in our Supreme Court, question if we want them in or outside of the gate. The press reported Governor Brad Henry won with the cockfighting vote when first elected. We are committed as an organization and as Oklahomans to now turn our efforts to making sure at election time, to elect those who uphold our laws in a consistent and fair manner. We pray our fellow Oklahomans will do the same. I will assure you the only common ground we have with those who petitioned for the Tabor bill is bewilderment about how a law can have two completely different outcomes, for the exact same action. Justice is not blind in Oklahoma.

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Posted at 8:24 PM |  
Tuesday, October 09, 2007 

State Rep.Charles Key on Indictment of Petition Drive Organizers: "Has Attorney General Edmondson Read the Constitution He Is Sworn to Uphold?"

OKLAHOMA CITY - "Our attorney general is treating the constitutions of this country and this state like so much tissue paper to sneeze on," state Rep. Charles Key said today in response to the recent indictment of three citizen activists under fire for helping Oklahoma citizens petition their government.

The October 2 indictment of Paul Jacob, Susan Johnson, and Rick Carpenter-who worked on a petition drive to put a Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) measure on the 2006 ballot-is "a grotesque abuse of Edmondson's office," Key said.

The measure would have limited the growth of state spending.

Jacob, president of Citizens in Charge; Johnson, president of National Voter Outreach; and Carpenter, president of Oklahomans in Action, are charged with willfully flouting a residency requirement for persons gathering signatures for the petition. If convicted, the three could be imprisoned for ten years.

Key suggested that the four-term attorney general take the time to read the U.S. Constitution and the Oklahoma State Constitution.

"Apparently Drew Edmondson is more schooled in power politics and trampling the rights of the innocent people than in his basic obligation to uphold the law," said Key, R-Oklahoma City. "Four times now Mister Edmondson has taken an oath of office to 'support, obey and defend' the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Oklahoma-and to discharge his duties to the 'best of his ability.'

"You shouldn't make that vow if you're not acquainted with the documents you are vowing to defend. But how you can read them without seeing the parts about the right of citizens to petition their government and the right of Oklahoma citizens to act to bring an initiative question to ballot? And how can you defend these constitutionally protected rights by grasping at some trumped-up technicality to try to destroy innocent people for their good-faith efforts in helping Oklahoma citizens to exercise those rights?"

Key said that the right of the people "peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances" is enshrined in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. As for the Oklahoma Constitution, it states that "The people have the right peaceably to assemble for their own good, and to apply to those invested with the powers of government for redress of grievances by petition, address, or remonstrance." Article 5 lays out initiative and referendum rights, and stipulates that "The first power reserved by the people is the initiative..."

"I hope Attorney General Edmondson will have a chance to review the U.S. Constitution and the Oklahoma State Constitution in the near future. Perhaps his chief of staff can schedule an hour that he can devote to studying them."

Related:

4Pundits.com: Arresting your political opponents

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Posted at 3:24 PM |  


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